The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, in particular an automobile seat, with an inclination adjuster.
In automobile seats, it is known to adjust the front part of the seat frame that mounts the part of seat that is intended for supporting the upper thighs. In this context, it is known to adjust the front part of the seat by means of an inclination adjuster relative to the part of the seat that is intended for receiving the buttocks. The inclination adjuster may be operated via a shaft by hand or by a motor.
It is an object of the present invention to improve an automobile seat having an inclination adjuster.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an automobile seat that includes an inclination adjuster has a play between a shaft of the inclination adjuster and a side panel of a seat frame. More specifically and in accordance with this aspect, the automobile seat includes a seat frame having side panels that extend in a longitudinal direction and are laterally spaced apart from one another. The seat frame further includes a front part extending laterally between the side panels. The inclination adjuster is mounted to the front part of the seat frame and includes a mechanism for being operated by the shaft to adjust the elevation of the front part with respect to the side panels. Regarding the play more specifically, one of the side panels of the seat frame includes an opening that a portion of the shaft is positioned within. The opening is sized so that a gap allows the play.
As a result of arranging the shaft with a play relative to the associated side panel of the seat frame, no friction losses occur in normal use at the interface between the shaft and the associated side panel, because rotation of the shaft does not result in frictional interaction with the structure of the side panel that defines the opening. However, in the case of a crash of the vehicle containing the seat, wherein the crash is of a predetermined magnitude or greater, a transmission point for transmitting the occurring strong forces is available after a deformation. This will be especially of advantage when, in the case of a modular construction of the automobile seat, the inclination adjuster is designed and constructed as a separate subassembly, and optionally mounted to a side panel of the seat frame. This mounting can be provided, for example, via two connection points. In the case of a crash, the inclination adjuster deforms in the region of the connection points until the play in the region of the shaft disappears.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the shaft is supported in a collar of the inclination adjuster, and the collar is inserted with a play through the opening of the side panel. The collar comes into contact with the side panel in the case of a crash of a predetermined magnitude or greater. When the collar comes into contact with the side panel, at least a portion of the forces resulting from the crash are directly transmitted into the side panel of the seat frame.
Preferably, the adjustment by means of the inclination adjuster occurs by a pivotal movement of the front part of the seat frame. In this instance, the inclination adjuster acts as a joint, and a further joint is provided. For example, the inclination adjuster may be designed and constructed as a double-acting reversing gear mechanism, which is easy to make, and which operates accurately. A spring may be provided to assist in the upward pivoting of the front part of the seat frame. In this instance, the use of a spiral spring has the advantage that the available assembly space is better utilized. For example, to apply the required torque, a leg spring would have to have so many winds that they would result in extending over the rocking arm of the height adjuster or the side panel of the seat frame.